7 restaurants and bars that closed
Restaurants big and small, acclaimed and under the radar, have closed in metro Phoenix recently.
An award-winning Japanese restaurant in a historic downtown building will no longer serve dinner, omakase style, to hungry customers. A midtown pizza spot and its neighboring Vietnamese restaurant are now permanently closed as well. A Korean grocery store that drew customers from around the Valley and the state shut its doors after four years.
Some restaurant and business owners cited the pandemic for why they had to close. A lack of business over the past year, or an incompatibility between their food and serving takeout, left them with
little choice. Others faced different factors, such as too much local competition or changes in legislative rules.
From downtown Phoenix to Mesa and Tempe, these seven local restaurants, grocery stores and beverage businesses are now permanently closed.
Nobuo at Teeter House
Critically acclaimed Japanese restaurant Nobuo at Teeter House is now closed. The restaurant, tucked inside a red brick bungalow in downtown Phoenix, offered multi-course omakase service along with bar snacks and cocktails. Nobuo at Teeter House closed in March 2020 due to pandemic restrictions. But now, owner and chef Nobuo Fukuda has confirmed, the restaurant will not reopen.
ZPizza
Midtown Phoenix pizza restaurant ZPizza has closed. Located on Thomas Road west of Central Avenue, the small restaurant served pizza, salad, sandwiches and chicken wings. The Phoenix restaurant was part of a Californiabased chain that has locations along the west coast. One Arizona location remains open in Oro Valley near Tucson. At the Phoenix store, a paper sign that reads “due to COVID-19, this location has perm. closed. Sorry” is taped to the window.
Banh Mi Pho
Located directly next door to ZPizza in the strip mall along Thomas Road, Banh Mi Pho is also closed. The Vietnamese restaurant served, as the name suggests, varieties of banh mi sandwiches and pho soups. A large “Available” sign currently hangs in the widow of the closed restaurant.
SanTan Brewing Phoenix
SanTan Brewing Company’s main location remains open in downtown Chandler. But the brewery’s outpost in uptown Phoenix has closed. Owner Anthony Canecchia plans to condense his focus on the East Valley, according to a statement from the company. The Phoenix brewpub served burgers and beers.
Korea Mart
Korea Mart opened in Mesa in 2017, but the surrounding competition was tough, owners told The Republic. Then in 2020, popular Korean and Asian supermarket H Mart opened three miles north. The competition, coupled with the pandemic, was too much for the small grocery store. Korea Mart is now closed.
AZ Bitters Lab
If you’ve enjoyed cocktails in metro Phoenix, you’ve probably tried AZ Bitters Lab’s products. The popular flavorings, commonly referred to as bitters, were widely used in Phoenix’s top cocktail bars and craft coffee shops. But a small governmental change has shut down the company. The interpretation of a law that defines AZ Bitters Lab’s products has changed, meaning the local husband-and-wife run company would have to become a licensed spirits producer in order to continue.
Flower Child Ghost Kitchen Tempe
Flower Child, the popular health-focused restaurant from Arizona restaurateur Sam Fox, opened in Tempe in January 2021. However, it wasn’t a traditional restaurant. The new concept was digital-only, meaning customers could order takeout online or at kiosks set up inside the Tempe Culinary Dropout location.